Queensland Fruit Fly Hotspots

While Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) numbers are low across the Goulburn Murray Valley (GMV), the following hotspot locations are registering high populations and require a concerted effort from landholders in order to achieve a reduction in numbers:

• Koonoomoo
• Cobram
• Merrigum

Action now will help these communities in minimising the QFF pressure next spring.

May outlook

As the weather cools down there will be less and less QFF activity and trapping rates will decrease to almost zero in July. Ripe fruit that is still on the plant or ground are still able to be infested by QFF in most areas of the GMV as sunset temperatures are still higher than the lower limit of mating and egg-laying. It is very important to pick, or pick up, and destroy unwanted fruit at this time of year. Adult flies will emerge from infested fruit and hide in relatively warm spots in evergreen plants throughout winter. These flies will avoid traps as it is too cold and their presence won’t be detected until spring, when the weather warms up and fruit get stung.

May garden tasks

• Pick up and correctly dispose of fallen fruit in your yard, nature strip, nearby creek banks or parks (place in a plastic bag in the sun for 5 days and then throw out with the garbage or compost).
• Pick any fruit still on the plant and use or correctly dispose of it.
• Prune your trees to keep them at a manageable height.
• Check ripe and ripening fruit for signs of fruit fl y infestation – soft patches, brown to black sting marks, maggots. If found, pick the fruit and dispose of it as above.
• If you have traps out make sure they are within the use-by date. If not, replace or recharge them with new baits.
• If you don’t have traps out consider putting a few around the house, especially in evergreen foliage near the house, chook pen or compost heap.
• Netting around most trees can be removed now but keep it there if you still have ripe or ripening fruit. Remember that olives can be attacked by QFF when they are black and ripe.
• If you have fruit trees that you don’t use consider removing them completely and replacing them with a non-fruiting plant.

Tree removal program

The free tree removal program is open to private and public landholders who cannot manage their fruit trees effectively or wish to remove fruit trees they no longer want. For more information, contact your participating council.